What's the point of the 550e when it costs the same as the 600e?

[magbarn]

I'm looking for a step up from my 450 Pro 3GX and I'm currently looking at the 550/600 3GX kits. They're within $30 of each other on street prices. Isn't bigger always better for somebody who's still learning? The 700E still is holding at easily $400 more so it's still has a significant price gap. With many 550 guys slapping on 600 length blades, are there any other advantages for the 550 other than agility?

[CAP21]

I think the 550 was preferred because it can take 6s pack way better than the 600.

To me, the 550 is little bigger than the 500 so I didn't see the point. I went with 600 and glad I did.

There's enough power on a 6s 600 for my kind of flying. But the newer 600e will require 12s if I'm not mistaken..

[rcflier1]

the new 600 is 12 cell. battery cost is twice as much, for not a lot bigger machine. i,ll stick with the 550 size

[OnTheSnap]

The size difference between the 550 and 600 is quite considerable. Totally different feel in flight and the 550 can fly in smaller fields.

Blades, batteries, motors of equivalent quality are all cheaper on a 550. So crash costs are lower as well.

I have a 550, 600, and 700. 550 is still my favorite size to fly out of the bunch. Just sheer fun, and really smacks well in a tight space.

[magbarn]

Originally Posted by OnTheSnap

The size difference between the 550 and 600 is quite considerable. Totally different feel in flight and the 550 can fly in smaller fields.

Blades, batteries, motors of equivalent quality are all cheaper on a 550. So crash costs are lower as well.

I have a 550, 600, and 700. 550 is still my favorite size to fly out of the bunch. Just sheer fun, and really smacks well in a tight space.

The 600 batteries are definitely more expensive, didn't consider that lol. Will the 550 'feel' much bigger and stable than my 450? No one at my field currently has a 550, while several have 600/700's. Those make my 450 look like my mcpx next to my 450 lol.

[Mr.Andersen]

An other fun thing to do if the drivetrain can handle it is to covert tit to 12S setup with a 4035-500 motor ore simular.
Gives the 550 silly power with a relativly cheap setup.
A pair of packs as low as 68$ from hobbyking.
I love my Logo 500 with the same setup.

[GlobalHawk]

The 550 will be WAAAAAAAYYYYYYY more stable than the 450 (especially if you go FBL). I have a 500, 550, 600, & 700 arriving today. I like flying my 550 more than my 600, and my 600 is 12s. The 550 on 6s has ALOT more power than the 600 on 6s. Get the 550!! It's only about 5-6 inches shorter than the 600, but it's cheaper to repair & it's a lot of fun to fly. You won't regret it......I didn't.

[OnTheSnap]

Power comparisons on size are a grey area discussion at best. It's all about setup. My 600 can pull 15 degrees of pitch at 2300 RPM with no bog. Plus I use vBar gov which makes 30C packs feel like 65C packs.

Both my 550 and 600's can be ballistic. It's all in the setup.

Out of the box, the 550 and 600 Pro are both pretty darn insane machines.

[Cul-tech]

Originally Posted by CAP21

I think the 550 was preferred because it can take 6s pack way better than the 600.

To me, the 550 is little bigger than the 500 so I didn't see the point. I went with 600 and glad I did.

There's enough power on a 6s 600 for my kind of flying. But the newer 600e will require 12s if I'm not mistaken..

Couldn't have said it better.

[magbarn]

Originally Posted by GlobalHawk

The 550 will be WAAAAAAAYYYYYYY more stable than the 450 (especially if you go FBL). I have a 500, 550, 600, & 700 arriving today. I like flying my 550 more than my 600, and my 600 is 12s. The 550 on 6s has ALOT more power than the 600 on 6s. Get the 550!! It's only about 5-6 inches shorter than the 600, but it's cheaper to repair & it's a lot of fun to fly. You won't regret it......I didn't.

Is the 600 appreciably more stable than the 550, similar to the jump from 450 to 550? Or is it more a small incremental change? I know the 700 is king, but to go that big bird means I'll have blow close to $200 on each set of batteries along with a stronger charger/power supply so I don't wait 2-3 hours of charging per flight

[BrainDrain_dx]

Originally Posted by GlobalHawk

The 550 will be WAAAAAAAYYYYYYY more stable than the 450 (especially if you go FBL).

actually its the other way. The 550 is more stable than a 450 if you dont go FBL. But both FBL they are pretty close to the same. FBL is the great equalizer.

battery wise if you own a 700 get a 550 and if you own a new 600 get a 500 because they can be made to share batteries.

[flyinghigh450]

Originally Posted by magbarn

I'm looking for a step up from my 450 Pro 3GX and I'm currently looking at the 550/600 3GX kits. They're within $30 of each other on street prices. Isn't bigger always better for somebody who's still learning? The 700E still is holding at easily $400 more so it's still has a significant price gap. With many 550 guys slapping on 600 length blades, are there any other advantages for the 550 other than agility?

They both use a 50 size motor so no difference in cost and the 600 uses smaller 6S pack's so the cost difference isn't much at all.With the 600 you get a better motor,esc and bigger heli that isn't much of a difference in crash cost at all .The only real difference in cost is you'll need a good charger .You can pick up a 300W iCharger for $120.00 or so which will work fine..

[phoenixRC]

Originally Posted by BrainDrain_dx

actually its the other way. The 550 is more stable than a 450 if you dont go FBL. But both FBL they are pretty close to the same. FBL is the great equalizer.

battery wise if you own a 700 get a 550 and if you own a new 600 get a 500 because they can be made to share batteries.

Are you saying that if I have a FBL 450 it is almost as stable as a 550?
Is this true for wind handling too? I am also looking at going bigger but if making my 450 FBL will help wind then I am in! Or I will look at FBL 500s

Thanks

[CAP21]

Originally Posted by phoenixRC

Are you saying that if I have a FBL 450 it is almost as stable as a 550?
Is this true for wind handling too? I am also looking at going bigger but if making my 450 FBL will help wind then I am in! Or I will look at FBL 500s

Thanks

Even if you go FB 500, you'll notice quite a difference compared to the 450.

I wouldn't let FB & FBL be a factor. It's a totally different subject in terms of difference in heli sizes.

[memosteve]

The 550 is a huge jump in size, stability, presence, power, etc. over the 450 and 500 (to the guy who said it's not much bigger than the 500, you didn't compare them in real life!).
It's not that much smaller than the 600 (I have both), but the 550 makes the 500 look small, in fact, I stopped flying my 500 and got rid of it after putting time in on my 550!

The 600 will fly slightly bigger in the air compared to the 550 and the 600 "floats" a little better, but it's not as significant a difference as the 550 is to the 450/500 class helis...that's where the biggest difference is.

The 600e requires a 12s setup, so double your battery/charger budget and now that little $ difference between the two kits is now not so close anymore to fly them.

I wouldn't bother with the older 6s 600!!!

Some parts on the 550 are less expensive than the 600 (main blades, motor, etc.), but neither will be "cheap" to crash and neither bird is good for a person on an extremely tight budget, so I think it's a moot point to choose one over the other on this consideration alone, IMHO.

You'll be happy with either one! I love my 550 and if I could only have one, it would be the 550 just because it flies incredible on only 6s.

[aralan]

Originally Posted by CAP21

I think the 550 was preferred because it can take 6s pack way better than the 600.

To me, the 550 is little bigger than the 500 so I didn't see the point. I went with 600 and glad I did.

There's enough power on a 6s 600 for my kind of flying. But the newer 600e will require 12s if I'm not mistaken..

The 550 is significantly bigger than the 500. The trex500 runs 425mm blades, the 550 ships with 520mm blades and runs 550mm blades without stretching. The 550 is much closer in size to a 600 than 500. Actually if you sit a 550 next to the 600 Pro you'll see the 600 is not much larger at all.

The 550 still has a place because it runs great on a single 6S pack, and has a simpler setup. Crash costs I don't see much advantage on since the crash parts have a lot of overlap.

[poor_red_neck]

Originally Posted by CAP21

I think the 550 was preferred because it can take 6s pack way better than the 600.

To me, the 550 is little bigger than the 500 so I didn't see the point. I went with 600 and glad I did.

There's enough power on a 6s 600 for my kind of flying. But the newer 600e will require 12s if I'm not mistaken..

The size difference between a 500 (425mm) and a 550 (520-550mm) is very different.
I'll post a pic when I get home of my 500 next to a 550.

The 550 is popular right now because you can use 6S 5000 with the 550 and use those same packs in serial with the 700 size.

The new 600e uses 12S 3300 or 3600 (not sure). You can use 6S 3300 on the 500 but its a bit of a porker.

It's all about whether you want to simplify/save money on packs.

[CAP21]

Agreed.

You get more power from the 550 with a 5000 mAh pack than the 600.

However, I've seen many older 600e on 6s setup and I have one and I'm fine with the power.

Yes, if you want just one heli, the 550 might be the best all around.

[Lottomunch]

There is a reason there is a 450, 500, 550, 600, and 700. They are all nice noticeable jumps in size, stability, and battery cost.

I've flown everything but 600. My experiences are right on line with the previous posts.

For me the biggest thing that decides which size I embrace is the battery costs. Don't overlook this. For me it seems to be much more of a concern than the kit cost. Heck....two sets of Thunderpower batteries cost as much as a 700 costs nowadays. That's why I'm selling my 700.

And like someone else said. If you go 550 keep 700 in mind. If you go 600 keep 500 in mind. The batteries can be shared.

[CAP21]

Originally Posted by Lottomunch

And like someone else said. If you go 550 keep 700 in mind. If you go 600 keep 500 in mind. The batteries can be shared.

Exactly. I use 2 X 2650 mAh packs in parallel for the 600. That's 5300 mAh.

Then I can use one pack for the 500.